More than a dozen Stormtroopers and their lord Darth Vader invaded downtown Madison on Thursday evening. These recruits in the Midwest Garrison of the 501st Legion of the Galactic Empire cut a swath through the hive of scum and villainy that is the UW campus, making their way from Vilas Hall to the Wisconsin Union Theatre. They were attending the U.S. premiere of Heart of an Empire, a documentary about the international Star Wars costume-slash-charity organization that was the opening night movie at the Wisconsin Film Festival.

Richardson shot five other images of the assemblage, along with a handful of other shots in a photo set focusing on the fest. She also captured views of the transformation of the Orpheum into an official venue, lines of film-goers waiting at Cinematheque, and festival co-founder James Kreul introducing the first film to screen of the day.

More photos of the Stormtroopers were also published by a UW student who happened upon the invasion at Vilas Hall. The sci-fi fan was inspired to attend the documentary, which she described as "tear-jerking and empowering," not to mention fun. "We got Star Wars toys whilst we waited in line," she concluded "and we had to promise a Stormtrooper that we would be Star Wars fans for the rest of our lives."